The Duchess War is a beautifully written book about the unlikely romance between a Duke and a woman without hope for her future. Especially a future with a man she loved.

Thats not to say that parts of it didnt frustrate the hell out of me.

Robert, the Ninth Duke of Clermont, was simply trying to escape the crowds by hiding out in the library curtains when Minnie Pursling accidentally joins him. The scene is embarrassing for her on many levels but it was quite funny for me. Robert finds Minnie interesting. She hasnt a clue who he really is and calls him out on his skulking. He is transfixed by her sultry voice and realizes there is much more to this woman hiding behind a mousy appearance and persona. And hes right.

Robert is attempting to right all the wrongs perpetrated by his father. He is distributing flyers on the sly about workers rights that are getting people all riled up. He also doesnt believe The House of Lords should have as much power as it does. And Minnie is on to him. She demands he cease his activities at once because they are putting her in danger. Minnie has spent a good part of her life hiding a painful secret and Roberts antics worry her more than she can let on. When he refuses to stop, she declares herself at war with him.

What follows is an almost overly complicated but still lovely romance. The overly bit is the reason for my frustration. I enjoy character driven romances and this is one, dont get me wrong, but the road to love, happiness and forevermore was filled with too many obstacles and even an out of character move or two that caused me great distress. In the hands of probably any other romance writer, these plot moves would have been a deal breaker for me. Still, something always made me keep chugging along every time I was about to put it down unfinished; the witty banter, the interesting secondary characters, the clumsy and realistic sex, or the connection between Robert and Minnie. Im glad I stuck with it because before it was over I actually got all teary eyed by the beauty of some of the final scenes. This so rarely happens because Im a jaded, black hearted grouch when it comes to romances. So if youre anything like me and choose to pick this up and get so frustrated you want to quit I recommend you keep on going to the very end. Im not going to lie and say I wish some things had happened differently and that the two had functioned as the allies they kept saying they wanted to be but I cant say skip it either because then youll miss out on the really good stuff.

Despite the plot complications, twists, betrayals and non-communication mucking things up I still very much enjoyed the characters of Minnie and Robert. In Minnies presence Robert gets all fumbled up and says and does foolish things that charmed me. Both felt undeserving of love and were broken in different ways by their early years but together I thought they fit perfectly. They have faults, fears, phobias and insecurities that cause them to make some frustrating choices but theyre not a hopeless mess because they also have big, forgiving hearts. I have to say all of this strife made them really work through their issues and work to stay together so when the book ends with an HEA I believed in it.

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Good book. I thought the beginning was a little bit slow, but it picked up quickly. The story's premise was interesting, if a bit unlikely, and ended up being a fun read.

Robert and Minnie first meet at a ball where he hid behind a curtain to avoid dealing with people. While he is there, Minnie comes looking for a place to escape her wannabe fiancé and ends up hiding behind the couch that's in front of his curtain. The subsequent conversation leaves Robert intrigued with her intelligence and fire.

Minnie is a young woman with a big secret. After an unusual childhood that ended in scandal and betrayal by her father, she changed her name and moved in with her aunts. Since that time, Minnie cultivated a persona of a quiet, meek, and mild wallflower, frequently compared to a mouse. Thanks to her past, she fears crowds and being the center of attention. She also craves love and a feeling of security. Minnie works quietly with others for better conditions for the poor. She was a chess prodigy as a child and is highly intelligent as an adult.

Robert is deeply ashamed of his father, the previous duke, and vows to be nothing like him. To that end, he came to Leicester to right a wrong done to some workers at a factory he owns. Robert also has a deeper purpose, one that employs an unexpected method of investigation.

As the story opens, a local law enforcement official confronts Minnie, accusing her of writing and distributing seditious flyers. These flyers encourage workers to strike, form unions, and do other anti-business/pro-worker activities. He informs her of his investigation of her and knows she is not who she claims to be. Minnie, terrified of being exposed, decides finding the actual author of the flyers will prove her innocence. It doesn't take her long to settle on Robert as the most likely suspect.

I loved Minnie's visit to Robert at his home. She laid out her suspicions and requested that he confess, thus taking the heat off her. Robert, of course, refuses her request, citing a lack of proof. He doesn't intend to quit until he reaches his goal. Minnie promises to get the evidence and that she won't hesitate to use it. Meanwhile, Robert vows to flirt with her and make her the center of attention. I love how she laughs at him and tells him no one will believe it. I loved the scene where she proved him right, her public mouse-like persona making a hash of his attempts to flirt with her.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Minnie and Robert. She intrigues him, and the more he gets to know her, the deeper his fascination goes. I liked how he found so many chances to spend time with Minnie, getting to know her, and enjoying getting past her mouse façade. There's a fun scene that takes place on the train from London to Leicester. Robert wants to spend the time talking to Minnie, but his cousin Sebastian and their friend Violet take over the conversation. Minnie is equally fascinated by Robert, but she sees no future in it with her past what it is.

As Robert continues his investigation, he unwittingly implicates Minnie in his latest flyer. Through a twisted series of events, the only way to save Minnie is for her to marry Robert. I liked their discussion of the practicalities, but both dropped the ball by not admitting their feelings. I loved their honeymoon to Paris and seeing them come together. But their honeymoon comes to an abrupt end when they receive a message that Robert's half-brother has been arrested and accused of writing those damning flyers. I ached for Robert, who had to decide whether to save his brother by betraying Minnie or protecting Minnie and allowing Oliver to suffer. The courtroom scene was intense and had me on the edge of my seat as it played out.

The ending surprised me with a couple of unexpected twists. I enjoyed the scene with the reporters, especially Robert's unswerving support for Minnie. I also liked the resolution of Robert's investigation.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the look at the plight of workers in Victorian times. It's a subject not often seen in romance novels, and it made a nice change. I also found Robert's views on the aristocracy unexpected.

I liked getting to know Robert's half-brother, Oliver, a bit and learning a little of the complicated history of the two of them. Robert's cousin, Sebastian, was an interesting character with his flirtatious manner and high spirits. There was a great scene with the three men as Sebastian and Oliver have pre-wedding advice for Robert.

I can't wait to read the other two books in the series.

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